A computer-based information system for clinical engineering in hospitals

• Published in: Computers & industrial engineering Vol. 23; no. 1; pp. 323 - 326
• Main Authors: Wu, Chao-Yen, Southard, Gordon P.
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Seoul Elsevier Ltd 1992; Oxford Pergamon Press; New York, NY Pergamon Press Inc
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Computerized management (medical records, files, hospital management); Computerized, statistical medical data processing and models in biomedicine; Hospitals; Information systems; Inventory control; Maintenance management; Medical equipment; Medical sciences; Biomedical data processing; Biomedical equipment; Information system; Management; Hospital; Computer aid; Biomedical engineering
• ISSN: 0360-8352; 1879-0550
• DOI: 10.1016/0360-8352(92)90126-5

The goals of the clinical engineering department at a hospital can be summarized in three points. First, it is to achieve safe, reliable, cost effective, and appropriate use of clinical, communications, and electrically-operated equipment by patients, staff, and visitors. Second, it is to document safety, performance, and regulatory compliance through periodic inspection and testing of devices. Third, it is to use data associated with both scheduled and non-scheduled activities to minimize the necessity for non-scheduled maintenance and problem-solving. To achieve these goals, it requires a sophisticated computer information system. A computer-based clinical engineering information system (CEIS) for the support and testing of the clinical equipment used in hospitals is presented in this paper. This CEIS is designed to be menu-driven and higher user-friendly. It will allow the clinical engineering department to perform jobs more efficiently and effectively at a hospital.